Stechmiller will be missed

Recently, our community lost a great man - Terry Stechmiller, who was principal at Mebane Middle School for more than 10 years.  He put so much into his school and our surrounding community in the 80s.  Coach Stechmiller was not only a great principal at Mebane, but he was also a mentor for our youth football players, many of whom went on to play high school, college and even in the pros.

Coach Stechmiller was the head coach for our Pop Warner Football Organization in the Midget Division out of Alachua for over 10 years.  He went on to produce a record of over 100 wins, two losses and one tie.  Also, as Head Coach, he went on to win an astounding 75 games straight.

Throughout the years, many of our great coaches from the surrounding community had the pleasure of coaching with Coach Terry Stechmiller.  All from Alachua, High Springs and Gainesville, they were the likes of Andy Strickland, Horace Jenkins, Dean Moore, Porter Peterson and many more.  By working together, Coach Terry’s teams won nine Southeast Regions and a National Championship in California.

Education is what he preached, and he used it as a tool for motivation to develop boys into young men.  Due to their dedication, Coach Terry Stechmiller, Andy Strickland, Horace Jenkins, Dean Moore and the many other coaches during the 80s were able to pass on their hard work to the high school where the Santa Fe Raiders claimed two State Championships.

Our community has been blessed for having many great talented coaches over the years, and Coach Terry Stechmiller was one of the elite.  In my 30 years in recreation, I have never witnessed a principal take coaching to such a high level and add enormous amounts of passion to his craft.

I personally would like to thank Dr. Dan Boyd, Linda Stechmiller, Dr. Bruce Stechmiller, and Coach Terry Stechmiller’s family for their support and allowing Coach to be a major asset to our community.  He will be missed.  I hope those who can, will attend a memorial service at the Garden Club in Gainesville at 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 24.

 Hal Brady

Alachua Recreation and Parks Director